1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to resilient bumpers used in suspensions of motor vehicles. More particularly the present invention relates to a method of mounting a suspension bumper in a motor vehicle.
2. Disclosure Information
Suspension bumpers are blocks of resilient material placed between two members having relative motion therebetween. The suspension bumper prevents the two members from directly contacting each other, which can produce undesirable noise and harshness to the operator and passengers of the vehicle. Instead, the bumper is attached to one of the members such that the other member contacts the bumper and compresses it, thereby preventing member to member contact.
It is known to secure the suspension bumper to the member by including a threaded fastener or providing a snap in relationship. The snap-in suspension bumpers are preferred over those requiring threaded fasteners because they are generally faster and simpler to install and less expensive. On the other hand, once installed, the threaded fastener suspension bumpers provide great confidence to the manufacturer that they have been installed properly. Field studies show that the snap-in suspension bumpers can appear to be properly installed when in fact they are not fully snapped in, resulting in their falling out prematurely.
It would be desirable therefore to overcome the uncertainties associated with installing the lower cost, simpler snap-in suspension bumpers by providing a suspension bumper having the manufacturing installation confidence like that of the more complex and expensive threaded fastener suspension bumpers.